Refrigerator car



oct. 13, 1942.

w. R. ELsEY REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed May 4, 1942 y mvENToR; Waffe/1152.127912?, BY ZI/uj m RNEYs ATTO Oct. 13, 1942. w. R.-El sEY 'REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed May 4, v1942 3 sheets-Sheet' 2 INVENTOR; Waffe/1R. E'scy,

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REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed May 4, 1942 Oct. 13, 1942.

FIG- l Patented Oct. '13, 1942 REFBIGERATOB CAR Warren R. Elsey, Wynnewood, Pa., assit-nor to The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 4, 1942, Serial No. 441,607

(Cl. (i2-91.5)

l 9 Claims. This invention relates to refrigerator cars and 'the like, and has reference more particularly tofrefrigerator cars or apparatus of the type in which ice (either water-ice or solidified carbondioxide gas) is used as a primary refrigerant, and in which a. non-freezing fluid medium such as brine, chilled by indirect contact with the ice, isvemployed as a circulating secondary refrigerant to cool the atmosphere within the storage chamber or compartment of the refrigerator,

My invention is concerned with improvements in refrigerating structures of the kind referred to whereby freer and more positive circulation of the secondary or fluent refrigerant is secured,`

and in turn, amore rapid thermal exchange is had between said secondary refrigerant and air circulated within the storage chamber of the refrigerator, with resultant maintenance of a uniform temperature in the atmosphere in all parts of said chamber and enhancement of the efflciency of the refrigerator as a whole.

How the foregoing and other objects and attendant advantages may be readily realized in practice will appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is -a staggered longitudinal sectional view of a railway refrigerator car conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 1s a horizonm sectional view of the car taken 'as indicated by the angled arrows II-II Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the car taken along a staggered vertical plane indicated by the angled arrows III-III in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is across sectional view of one of the pipes used in the means through which the secondary refrigerant is circulated; and

Fig. 5Vis a diagrammatic view'in longitudinal section of a railway car showingan alternative embodiment of my invention.

Referring first more particularly to Figs. 1-3, the roof, floor and end walls I, 2, 3, l, 5 and 6, respectively. .of the car body there shown are all relatively thick suitably packed with thermal insulation. Disposed at eachend of the car body is a. refrigerating unit which is comprehensively designated by the numeral 1 in Fig. 1, and since these units are exactly alike, the description vwhich immediately follows of the one will serve for the other also. The Amain portion 8 of the interiorof the car body serves as a cold storage chamber and i's shown as having a reticulate' below the roof I of the body and built onto the end wall 3 of the latter, is a bunker II having a bottom I2, an inner end wall I3, and side walls I4 and I5, said bunker being accessible through a top opening I6 in the car roof I which is normally closed 'air-tight by means of a removable wedge cover I1. The partition shown at I3 serves to set apart within the interior of the car body adjacent ,the end wall 3, a flue which, at the bottom, communicates with the horizontal air-flow passage III in the 'car oo'r, and which extends upwardly along said wall as at Iii, then crosswise beneath the bunker II as at 20, and then upward beyond the inner end wall I3 of said bunker to the c'ar roof I as at 2l. As shown, the top portion 22 of the partition I8 has an opening 23 immediately below the car roof I, with a damper 24 therein arranged to be automatically actuated by a thermostat 25 subject to the influence of temperature changes in the chamber 8.

As a primary refrigerant, I may use either ordinary water-ice or, solid carbon-dioxide gas whereof blocks R are packed into the bunker Il from which latter Vwater accumulation or sublimated gas is released through a pipe 26 leading downward therefrom and discharging beneath the floor of the car, see Figs. 2 and 3.

As a secondary refrigerant (indicated conventionally at R in Figs. 1 and 3) I employ a nonfreezing fluid such for example as brine, and

refrigerant is circulated by convection through Acontact of a portion of such means with the primary refrigerant. As shown, the radiator 21 has a top header 28 constituted by a jacket 29 which lines the walls of the bunker II. Extending di-v rectly downward from the header 28 adjacent the end wall 3 of the car at the center within the main vertical portion` I9 of the flue I8 is a single down-flow pipe 30 of a relatively large vdiameter which, at its lower end, connects centrally into a bottom header 3l within said flue. As shown in Fig. 3, the pipe 30 terminates some-v what below the top wall of the bottom header 3l,

and is covered with or embedded in heavy insufalse oor 9 spaced somewhat from the main floor lwith resultant formation of a shallow hori- "zontal air-flow passage I0.v Located immediately lation 32. The radiator 21 further comprises a plurality of laterally spaced up-iiow pipes 33 of smaller diameter arranged in groups symmetrically at opposite sides of the down-flow pipe 30 andextending upward in the vertical portion I3 of the lille AI 8 frompthe bottom header 3| to the top header 28, passing through the bottom I2 of the bunker I I and connecting into said upper header at I4 at a level well above the outlet 35 for said down-now pipe 30.` Intermediate these two levels in the upper header 28 are bales 36 which slope downwardly slightly toward the inner wall I3 of the bunker Il, said baflies extending through the side portions and the left-hand end portion only of said header, and serving to define reverse flow strata for the secondary refrigerant in said jacket. In practice, the "cross sectional areas of the up-flow pipes 33 are preferably made to aggregate the crosssectionar area of the single down-flow pipe 30 so as not'to have any retarding effect upon free flow of the secondary refrigerant R' in the radiator 21. It will be further noted from Figs. 1, 2 and 4 that, in accordance with my invention, the up-ow pipes 33 are longitudinally nned as at 31 for a pul'pOse presently explained.

To automatically control the flow of the secondary refrigerant R.' in the radiator I may employ means including a Sylphon bellows actuated valve 38 within the down-flow pipe 30 at a point `immediately below the bunker Il and a governing temperature sensitive bulb 39 located in one f the adjacent up-flow pipes 33, see Figs. 1 and 3. The direction of circulation of the secondary refrigerant R (which is kept at the level L with provision of sufficient space above it in the upper header 28 to permit expansiom) in the radiator is primarily due to the difference of level between theinlets 34 of the up-flow pipes 33 and the outlet 35 for the down-flow pipe 30, and the presence of the baflles 36 in the upper header 28. Convection circulation is on the other hand, greatly stimulated by reason of the heavy insulation around said down-flow pipe which prevents 'the refrigerant R' from being influenced by the temperature of the air passing through the flue I9, while more effective thermal interchange between the air in said flue and the refrigerant R' in the up-iiow pipes 33 results fromth vertical finning on the latter pipes. The circulation of the air between the cold storage chamber 8 and the flue I9 is likewise effected solely through convection, the warmer air rising to the top of said chamber and entering the flue through the opening 23, the flow of the air in said flue being thus contrary to the direction of flow of the secondary refrigerant R in the pipes 32 as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1.

As an adjunct to the system, I have shcwn in Figs. 2 and 3 a heater 4l! having a tube coil 4l vertically disposed therein, one end of the tube being connected into one end of the bottom header 3| at the top and the other end to the center of the header at a lower level. This heater may be automatically controlled through suitable thermostatic means (not shown) sensitive to temperature variations in the chamber 8.

In the alternative embodiment of my invention, illustrated in Fig. 5, the car body is divided by a central transverse partition 45 into two compartments 8a, which are respectively provided with refrigerating units 1a. These refrigerating the present instance arranged back to backL against the central partition I5, although, they may, if desired or found more convenient, be located as in Figs. 1 and 2 at opposite ends of the car body.

' ment; a partition defining a flue 76 contact with the ice in the bunker, a bottom header within the lower part of the ue, a vertical down-flow pipe extending down from the lbottom of the top header through the nue to the bottom header, and avertical up-flow pipe extending 4up from the lower header in the ue and connecting into the top header at a higher level, and heavy insulation surrounding the down-flow pipe throughout its length to prevent the fluid therein from vbeing influenced by temperature changes in the air passing through said flue for maintenance of a temperature diierential. to promote circulation of the secondary refrigerant in said convection circuit.

2, A refrigerator car or the like according to claim 1, in which the up-fiow pipe is finned throughout its length to promote'more rapid thermal exchange between the secondary refrigerant and the air passing through the flue and in turn accelerate the circulation in the convection circuit.

3. A refrigerator car or the like according to claim l, further including valve means subject to thermostatic control o'f the compartment temperature for regulating fiow of the air through the flue.

4. A refrigerator car or the like including a. cold storage compartment; a bunker for ice below the car roof adjacent one of the car walls; a reticulate false floor setting apart a. horizontal air-flow passage in the bottom of the compartment; a partition defining a flue which extends upward of said wall from the horizontal airow passage and which communicates at the top with said compartment; and a closed convection circuit means for a secondary refrigerant in the form of a radiator comprising a top header in contact with the ice in the bunker, a bottom header within the lower part of the' flue, a vertical down-now pipe extending down from the bottom of the top header through the ue to the bottom header, and a vertical up-fiow pipe extending up from the lower header in the ue and connecting into the top header at a higher level, a valve in the down-now pipe, actuating means for the valve, and a temperature sensitive means in the up-fiow pipe for automatically controlling the operation of the valve actuating means. Y l

5. A refrigerator car or the like according to claim 4, in which'a valve is located in the downflow pipe at a point adjacent the connection of the latter -with the upper header; and in which the temperature sensitive means is located in the up-fiow pipe adjacent the connection of the latter with the upper header.

6. A refrigerator car or the like including a cold storage compartment; a bunker for ice below the car roof adjacent one wall of the car; a reticulate false floor setting apart a horizontal air-flow passage in the bottom of the compartwhich extends 'upward of said wall from the horizontal air-now passage and which communicates at the top with said compartment; and a closed convection circuit means for a secondary refrigerant in the form of a radiator comprising la top header in contact with the ice in the bunker, a bottomheader within the lower part of the flue, a single centrally located vertical down-flow pipe extending down from the bottom of the top header to the bottom header in the ilue, groups of vertical up-flow pipes symmetrically arranged at opposite sides of said down-flow pipe and extending up from the lower header in the flue and -connecting into the top header at a higher level, and heavy insulation surrounding the down-flow pipe throughout its length t0 prevent the fluid therein from being influenced by temperature changes in the air passing through the flue, for maintenance of a temperature differential to promote circulation of the secondary refrigerant in said convection circuit.

7. A refrigerator car or the like according to claim 6, in which the down-flow pipe is'covered with heavy -insulation .to prevent the iluid therein from being influenced by temperature changes in the air passing through the flue; and in which the up-ilow pipes are finned to promote more rapid thermal exchange between the secondary refrigerant and the air passing through said ilue and in turn accelerate the circulation in the convection circuit. y

8. A refrigerator car or the like according to claim 6, in which thecross sectional area of the down-flow pipe is substantially'equal to the sum of the cross sectional areas of the up-flowv pipes.

9. A refrigerator car. or the like including a cold storage compartment: a bunker for ice below the car roof; and a closed convection circuit means for a secondary refrigerant in the form of a ral diator comprising a top' header in contact with the" ice in theA bunker, a bottom header exposed to the air within the car, a vertical down-flow pipe extending down from the bottom of the top header to the bottom header, a vertical up-flow pipe extending up from the lower header and connecting into the top header at a higher level', and heavy insulation surrounding the down-now pipe throughout its length to prevent the fluid therein from being influenced by temperature changes in the air within the car for maintenance of a temperature diierential to promote circulation of the secondary refrigerant in said convection circuit.

WARREN R. ELSEY. 

